Withings Body Scan 2 Review

First impressions, not a verdict

This is my unboxing and my first scan with the Withings Body Scan 2. One scan, on day one. So take this as first impressions and not a long-term review.

Withings sent it to me for free to review. No strings attached, and they didn't get a say in what I say about it.

Who it's for

I'm 43, and I like products that are going to help me live a little bit healthier. That's where the Body Scan 2 comes in.

If you've maybe neglected a few things, the way I have, this will give you some insight into where you're at with your health. For me it was a good kick in the butt to get going again.

Why I wanted it

I've been a user of Withings products for years. I had one of their older smart scales and I liked it. I also have the sleep tracker that goes under the mattress, the blood pressure cuff and the thermometer.

So when this new one came out, I was pumped to get it. I already had the Withings app and an account, which made setup easier.

What's in the box

There's a little pull tab on the bottom of the box. Open it up and the first thing you see, right on top, is a line that says "this is not a scale."

Inside there's a welcome booklet with the quick start steps and best practices, a product guide with the technical specs, and the scale itself with the handle tucked into it. That was everything in my box.

It's got some real weight to it when you pick it up. It feels heavy duty, and I like that.

Setting it up

You press the button on the top for three seconds to wake it up. Then the Withings app finds it, gives you a Bluetooth pairing code, and runs a device update.

That update is where I got held up. I had to move into the house to get the wifi to finish it. So do your setup somewhere your wifi is strong.

After that the app walks you through turning on each feature one at a time. ECG, blood oxygen, a nerve response score, blood pressure insights, vascular age and the six-zone body composition. For blood pressure insights it asks a few questions first, like whether you're 22 or older, whether you've been diagnosed with hypertension and whether you have a pacemaker.

When the app asked how the install went, I told it pretty easy. That's my honest answer.

How a scan works

You put it on a hard, flat surface and step on barefoot, centered on the stripes. Then you pull the handle up and hold it with both hands.

There are two thumb sensors on the front of the handle, under the display, and sensors on the back for your fingers. There's a little green dot that helps you line your hands up. You stand up straight with your arms out a little, so you don't have skin touching skin, and you hold still.

The screen is interactive too. You tap and hold to pick things, and there's a button on the back where I switched it over to pounds.

A full scan is not quick. Mine took about two minutes of standing there. I left that part running at real speed in the video so you can see what it's actually like.

What my first scan told me

The vascular age is the one that got me. It came back nine years older than I am. The app said my pulse wave is traveling faster than expected, which suggests my arteries may be stiffer, and that regular exercise, a balanced diet and blood pressure control can help. That's not good, but now I know.

Heart age came back at 44, so one year older. Responsiveness was normal and efficiency was marked as something that can improve.

Then there's body composition. It put me in a zone called robust. Robust is a nice way of saying fat, maybe. It reads skeletal muscle and body fat as two separate things. On muscle it said exceptional muscle mass for my height, typical of highly trained athletes. I'll take that. On fat it said I'm above the recommended range.

None of that was a shock. I knew I was carrying more weight than I should be. I need to lose probably 15 pounds at least, and it's mostly around my midsection. The scan just made it very obvious.

What I don't know yet

I can't tell you how accurate it is. I think the quality and the accuracy are in line with the other Withings devices I own, but that's a feeling after one scan, not something I've checked.

The app told me the oxygen saturation reading needed to be redone after that first scan, so I don't have a number for that yet.

I also haven't gotten into the subscription. BodyPath showed up as part of Withings+, and I'll talk about what that adds in another video.

Should you get one

Just based on the first information I got out of it, I'd say yeah, give it a shot. It's probably worth it for the insight into where you're at with your health.

I'm going to use it as motivation and direction for where I'm going, and focus on some of this longevity stuff, because it looks like I've got a little bit of work to do. I'll post an updated review as I use it more.